Microsoft’s new Copilot key is the first big change to Windows keyboards in 30 years
Image: Microsoft
Microsoft wants 2024 to be “the year of the AI PC,” and it’s kicking things off with a significant change to the keyboard on new laptops and PCs. A new Copilot key will ship on a variety of new PCs and laptops from Microsoft’s partners, providing quick access to Microsoft’s AI-powered Windows Copilot experience straight from a keyboard button press.
The Copilot key is the first big change to the Windows PC keyboard layout in nearly three decades. “Nearly 30 years ago, we introduced the Windows key to the PC keyboard that enabled people all over the world to interact with Windows,” says Yusuf Mehdi, executive vice president and consumer chief marketing officer at Microsoft. “We see this as another transformative moment in our journey with Windows where Copilot will be the entry point into the world of AI on the PC.”
Image: Microsoft
The new Copilot key sits next to the right-hand alt key on Windows keyboards.
This new Copilot key will replace the menu key (application key) that was introduced alongside the Windows key decades ago. It will be placed next to the right-hand alt key on most keyboards, with the placement varying by OEM and across different markets. It’s in the same spot where Microsoft added a dedicated Office key to its own keyboards in 2019. The Copilot key simply launches the Windows Copilot that’s built into Windows 11, offering up a ChatGPT-like chatbot that can answer queries or even take actions inside Windows.
If Windows Copilot isn’t available in your country just yet, the Copilot key will launch Windows Search instead. While the existing Windows key can open the Start menu or be combined with a variety of other keys for shortcuts to Windows features and functions, the Copilot key is just a launch key for now. It’s not clear if Microsoft plans to let you use the Copilot key in combination with other keys in the future.
Microsoft isn’t discussing which OEMs will add the Copilot key, leaving the announcements for next week’s Consumer Electronics Show and beyond. Mehdi says we’ll “start to see the Copilot key unveiled on new Windows 11 PCs from our ecosystem partners, with availability beginning later this month through Spring, including on upcoming Surface devices.”
Microsoft is rumored to be launching new Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 models in the spring, and the dedicated Copilot key on Surface devices was a rumor that’s now been confirmed.
Screenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge
The Copilot key will launch Microsoft’s built-in Windows Copilot experience.
It feels like Microsoft has been building Copilot into everything throughout 2023, and this new Copilot key is part of bigger AI-powered changes that are planned for Windows throughout 2024. “In this new year, we will be ushering in a significant shift toward a more personal and intelligent computing future where AI will be seamlessly woven into Windows from the system, to the silicon, to the hardware,” says Mehdi. “This will not only simplify people’s computing experience but also amplify it, making 2024 the year of the AI PC.”
Microsoft is working on a Windows “refresh” that will be focused on new AI features, alongside adding AI to more and more parts of its software and services. Microsoft has even started the year by branding Microsoft Edge as the “AI browser,” signaling that Microsoft’s AI push is far from over.
LG just made the fastest OLED gaming display yet
Image: LG
LG Display, a manufacturer that makes and sells displays to other companies, is showing off a new OLED display that could soon appear in high-end gaming monitors. At 27 inches, this 1440p panel pairs a speedy 0.03ms response time with a 480Hz refresh rate — making it the fastest in OLED displays so far.
LG’s new screen is even better than the one in the 32-inch OLED “Dual-Hz” gaming monitor (32GS95UE) it announced in December. While this monitor similarly offers a refresh rate of up to 480Hz, you have to toggle the display down to 1080p to take advantage of that speed.
It also puts LG Display on track to compete with the panel recently announced by Samsung’s display arm, which offers a slightly lower 360Hz refresh rate and a 1440p resolution. Samsung has already adopted the panel for its new 27-inch Odyssey OLED G6 gaming monitor, and it looks like MSI and Dell may be using it in forthcoming monitors as well.
LG Display says the panel comes with the company’s “META Technology,” a feature that’s supposed to offer better brightness and wider viewing angles. The company also claims it emits the “lowest level of blue light in the industry.” It’s still too early to know whether any gaming companies will adopt LG Display’s new panel. LG Display plans on releasing its 27-inch OLED 480Hz panel during the first half of this year and will show off “its full lineup” of OLED gaming displays during CES 2024, which range from 27 to 45 inches.
With two of the biggest display makers developing OLED panels that prioritize high refresh rates, it’s a sign we’re going to see a lot more gaming monitors using the technology soon.
Here are the best Apple Watch deals right now
The entry-level Apple Watch SE is a gateway smartwatch if there ever was one. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Editor’s note: Apple was recently banned from selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 due to anongoing patent disputewith medical device maker Masimo. A federal appeals court hastemporarily pausedthe resulting import ban, however. Read more about the banhere.
A few months ago, Apple launched its latest batch of smartwatches, introducing the Apple Watch Ultra 2 ($799) alongside the new Apple Watch Series 9 ($399). Each wearable has its own pros and cons, as does the second-gen Apple Watch SE ($249), but the introduction of the new wearables also means there are now more Apple Watch models on the market than ever before — and a lot more deals to be had.
But with all of those options, which one should you pick? Generally speaking, you want to buy the newest watch you can afford so that it continues to receive software updates from Apple. The latest update, watchOS 10, launched in September on the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer, though no one can say with certainty whether the Series 4 will get the next big software update or whether it will be exclusive to newer watches.
Picking up a watch from the latest (or a recent) generation ensures you’re getting a smartwatch with an updated design, a robust number of features, and plenty of sensors. Now, let’s get into the deals.
The best Apple Watch Series 9 deals
The Apple Watch Series 9 represents the latest wearable in Apple’s flagship Series lineup. It introduces a slightly faster S9 SiP chip and a second-gen ultra wideband chip, which allow for onboard Siri processing and precision finding with your iPhone. It also offers a brighter, 2,000-nit display and works with Apple’s new “double tap,” a feature that lets you tap your thumb and index finger together to carry out various actions. While the improvements are welcome, the Series 9 isn’t a vast departure from the prior model, the Series 8.
The Apple Watch Series 9 has only been out a few months, but the GPS-equipped model is currently on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target in the 41mm sizing starting at $349 ($50 off) or in the larger 45mm configuration at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for as low as $379 ($50 off). As for the LTE model with cellular connectivity, it’s currently available at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target starting at $479 ($50 off), which is about $20 shy of its all-time low.
The Apple Watch SE received a refresh in late 2022. It has the same chipset as the Series 8, which is great, but with fewer sensors, no always-on display, and a slightly outdated design compared to the Series 8 and Series 9. Those omissions might take this out of the running for some people, but it still may be exactly what you’re after. Best of all, it starts at $249 for the 40mm Wi-Fi / GPS model, which is $30 less than the previous generation’s baseline cost. Opting for cellular connectivity bumps up the starting price to $299 for the 40mm size (44mm adds $20 to each configuration).
Right now, the 40mm Apple Watch SE with GPS is on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for $199 ($50 off); it’s also available in the 44mm sizing for $229 ($50 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. And if you want the LTE configuration, it’s available at Walmart and Best Buy starting at $249 ($50 off), one of its lowest prices to date.
Apple’s latest Apple Watch Ultra launched at $799 in September with GPS and LTE support, much like the original model. The ultra-capable smartwatch has the most features, sensors, and ruggedness of any Apple Watch model available thus far, along with a display that’s 50 percent brighter than the first Ultra. The 49mm smartwatch also packs Apple’s new S9 SiP and second-gen ultra wideband chips, just like the Apple Watch Series 9, while maintaining long-lasting battery life, precise GPS tracking, and a bevy of diving-friendly sensors.
We recently saw the Apple Watch Ultra 2 dip to $739 for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Thankfully, it’s still on sale (for slightly more) at Amazon and Best Buy, where you can grab it for just $749 ($50 off) with either an Alpine Loop, a Trail Loop, or an Ocean Band strap.
While all of the Apple Watch models and colorways covered here are encased in aluminum (except the Ultras, which have a titanium build), Apple does make a more premium range built out of stainless steel and titanium. These offerings are functionally and aesthetically similar to their aluminum counterparts, with slightly refined colors and finishings — polished for the stainless steel and brushed for the titanium. However, they start at much steeper prices of $749 and above. They, too, can often be found on sale, but they’re never discounted as low as the standard base models, so we don’t include them here.
Museum World Hit by Cyberattack on Widely Used Software Hackers targeted software that many museums use to show their collections online and to manage sensitive information.
Samsung is hosting Unpacked in the heart of Silicon Valley
That’s so metal. | Image: Samsung
Samsung has formally announced its winter Unpacked — coming right on the heels of CES and just down the street from some of its biggest competitors’ HQs. As previously leaked announced, the event is scheduled for Wednesday, January 17th. It’ll be hosted at the SAP Center, because nothing says “go big or go home” like an NHL arena.
The company says we’ll see the “newest additions to the Galaxy mobile device portfolio,” which is all but guaranteed to be the S24 series. AI will be a major focus — no surprise there. Rumors have also pointed to the S24 Ultra getting a new titanium build — that should ring a bell if you’ve seen literally any advertisement for the iPhone 15 Pro — and the 3D metallic graphic in the event invitation certainly seems to lean that way. Hosting the event in Apple’s backyard is probably no coincidence either!
Per usual, Samsung has opened up “reservations” for device preorders, which get you a $50 credit if you preorder one of the phones. There’s no commitment to follow through and actually purchase one, so join us on Samsung’s livestream at 10AM PT / 1PM ET on the 17th when the devices are revealed. Then you can make a more informed decision.
Pornhub blocks North Carolina and Montana as porn regulation spreads
Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Pornhub has restricted access in two more states in protest of continued nationwide state-level efforts to regulate online access to porn. 404Media reported that residents in both North Carolina and Montana visiting Pornhub and other Aylo-owned sites like Redtube or Brazzers are now greeted by a video of performer Cherie DeVille, and a handful of paragraphs, telling them their states are now blocked. Aylo began blocking access in the states last week, according to reporting from multiple outlets including The Fayetteville Observer and KRTV in Great Falls, Montana.
The move is meant to protest laws that went into effect in both states on January 1st. Montana passed a standalone ID verification law in May, and North Carolina’s new law was tacked onto a bill regarding the high school computer curriculum. The laws require sites to either use third-party verification or, in the case of Montana, “digitized identification” to verify a visitor’s age. Both states also leave enforcement as a civil matter, allowing individuals to sue if they think a site violates the law.
That all makes it much more difficult for a website like Pornhub to operate. Pornhub and other sites aren’t opposed to age-gating content, and it currently uses device identifiers for age verification. It is, however, opposed to the methods required by these new laws.
Screenshot: Wes Davis / The Verge
A similar message is posted for users in Utah.
The message displayed by Aylo’s sites claims few adult sites can “compare to the robust Trust and Safety measures we currently have in place.” The message contends that the “most effective solution” is to allow access based on device identifiers.
Despite the company’s safety claims, Aylo was recently fined $1.8 million by the federal government for allegedly willfully hosting videos of sex trafficking victims.
Montana and North Carolina have joined a small list of states with restricted access to Pornhub. Louisiana, Utah, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Virginia have passed similar laws, prompting Pornhub to block access in those states as well. Meanwhile, Texas passed its own identification law, currently under appeal in the Fifth Circuit, that also requires adult film sites to show unsubstantiated warnings about the health risks of watching porn.
Pornhub will have to find some way to manage age verification as a cornucopia of laws hit it in states around the US, and even overseas. In the EU, for instance, the company was just deemed a “Very Large Online Platform” that will have to make sure it knows how old its users are. Otherwise, giant swaths of people worldwide might have to turn once more to the darkest corners of the internet to find their porn, or start picking it up on Blu-Ray.
Chief Justice Roberts Sees Promise and Danger of A.I. in the Courts In his year-end report, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. focused on the new technology while steering clear of Supreme Court ethics and Donald J. Trump’s criminal cases.
Microsoft now says the CMA was ‘tough and fair’ over Activision Blizzard deal
Image: Getty Images
Microsoft president Brad Smith wasn’t happy with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last year, after the regulator blocked Microsoft’s giant Activision Blizzard deal. Now that Microsoft has restructured its deal and won approval in the UK, Smith has kinder words for the CMA, describing the regulator as “tough and fair” in an interview with the BBC’s Radio 4 Today program.
Smith originally criticized the CMA and said confidence in the UK had been “severely shaken” after the regulator moved to block Microsoft’s $68.7 billion deal in April last year. He called it the “darkest day” for Microsoft in its four decades of working in Britain, and went a step further, saying “the European Union is a more attractive place to start a business” than the UK.
“I certainly learned a lot personally,” admitted Smith on Radio 4 yesterday. “I wouldn’t step back necessarily from all of the concerns I raised when I talked way back in April, but I might choose slightly different words to make my point.”
The CMA forced Microsoft to restructure its Activision Blizzard deal, giving up key cloud gaming rights in the UK and many other markets worldwide. “The CMA held to a tough standard and I respect that. In my view it was tough and fair,” added Smith. “It pushed Microsoft to change the acquisition that we had proposed for Activision Blizzard, to spin out certain rights that the CMA was concerned about with respect to cloud gaming.”
While Smith has had a change of heart over his criticism of the CMA, the regulator was less than impressed with Microsoft’s tactics. “Businesses and their advisors should be in no doubt that the tactics employed by Microsoft are no way to engage with the CMA,” warned CMA CEO Sarah Cardell in October. “Microsoft had the chance to restructure during our initial investigation but instead continued to insist on a package of measures that we told them simply wouldn’t work. Dragging out proceedings in this way only wastes time and money.”
Microsoft’s concession to the CMA allowed the deal to close in October, following months of regulatory scrutiny worldwide. The Federal Trade Commission is still pursuing its case against Microsoft’s deal in the US, with a decision on an appeal over the FTC v. Microsoft case expected from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals soon. The FTC is also still pursuing a separate administrative case against Microsoft’s deal that’s set to commence shortly after the appeal decision unless the FTC abandons its case entirely.
A Stunning Eclipse, a Moon Race and Other Space Events in 2024 In April, people across North America will be able to gaze at a stunning total eclipse. And astronauts may get closer to that promised moon landing.
Alamo Drafthouse blames ‘nationwide’ theater outage on Sony projector fail
A sign reportedly placed at Alamo Drafthouse’s Minnesota location informing patrons that no films will be shown that day. | Photo: 3NU (Reddit)
“Sorry everyone! Sony is having issues with their projectors that is preventing us from being able to project movies at some of our theaters today.”
That’s what theater chain Alamo Drafthouse postedto social media sites on New Year’s Eve, adding that it was closing five theaters entirely for the rest of the day as a result. As of New Year’s Day, however, most theaters and most showtimes now appear to be available, with a few exceptions.
It’s not entirely clear what happened. As New Year’s Day is a holiday, we somewhat understandably haven’t yet been able to reach Alamo or Sony spokespeople, and not every theater or every screening was affected.
That didn’t stop Alamo from blaming its Sony projectors for what at least one theater called a “nationwide” outage, however.
“Due to nation-wide technical difficulties with Sony, we aren’t able to play any titles today,” read part of a taped paper sign hanging inside a Woodbury, Minnesota location. That didn’t keep the customer who took a picture of that sign from watching The Apartment at that very same location, though:
When we went to our seats, the wait staff let us know that despite the fact that the previews were playing, we wouldn’t know until the movie actually started whether we could see the film or not. If it didn’t work, the screen would just turn black. Luckily, the film went through without a hitch.
Most screenings are back online today at the affected theaters listed below! We thank you all for your patience and understanding. Please, check the email used to purchase your ticket, as our team will reach out directly if your show is impacted.
Showings of the following films are being reorganized and may remain cancelled due to these complications. Please, check your email if you had tickets to one of these films:
- BURN IT DOWN
- AMERICAN FICTION
- FERRARI
- BOY AND THE HERON
What might have only affected some screenings at some theaters? I’ve seen speculation on Reddit that it may have something to do with expired digital certificates used to unlock encrypted films, but we haven’t heard that from Alamo or Sony. We’re looking forward to finding out.
LG’s newest 32-inch 4K monitor is a looker with a smart TV inside
The LG MyView Smart Monitor. | Image: LG
LG will show off a new series of 32-inch 4K computer monitor / TV hybrids called the ‘MyView’ at CES this year. The company announced they’ll come “in a variety of colors, including essence white, mild beige, cotton pink and cotton green.” They’ll be offered in three variants at two price levels — $599.99 and $499.99, and LG says it will announce availability in the US “at a later date.”
The specs and design language of LG’s new smart LED displays are very similar to the Samsung M8. They both come in multiple colors and have a whiff of modern iMac design, though with more adjustable stands (both support tweaks to height, tilt, and rotation). Each can be used as a smart TV with the included remote and all of the new MyView monitors will have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, 2 built-in speakers, and dual HDMI ports.
Image: LG
The LG MyView comes with a remote to prove it’s serious about streaming.
But some key differences could make LG’s new monitor a better deal. Its IPS panel likely looks better at an angle than the VA tech in Samsung’s displays, and its three USB-C ports with 90-watt USB-C charging outdoes the M8’s single USB-C with 65W maximum output. The priciest MyView is also $100 less than the M8, so there’s that.
Image: LG
The LG MyView looks a little like an iMac if you squint.
LG’s MyView displays will run webOS, which gives them a nice advantage over other more mundane monitors, according to LG’s announcement: they should be able to kind of work like a Chromebook, using cloud services like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace without being tethered to another computer.
Speaking of price — LG’s press release says the $599.99 model 32SR85U will come with three USB-C ports with 90 watts of USB-C power output and ships with a detachable webcam. The product page for the 32SR85U also mentions HomeKit compatibility, which, for smart TVs, usually means you can ask Siri to switch inputs or turn it on and off.
The other two variants come in at $499.99. The 32SR83U still has three USB-C ports and 400 nits of screen brightness, but it only outputs 65 watts over USB-C and won’t come with the webcam. The 32SR70U doesn’t appear to support the detachable webcam at all, shines at only 350 nits, and only has one 45-watt charging USB-C port, trading the other two for USB 2.0 (presumably USB-A) ports. One of these things is not like the other.
The MyView may undercut the Samsung M8 in a lot of ways, but the target for this series is clearly to fill a void left by Apple’s monitor selection. Because look, monitors are ugly, almost always, and while most folks just accept that as a fact of life, there’s a class of people who would love to have something that looks nice on their desk and would pick up a Studio display if it didn’t cost more than their computer. The straightforward display specs of the MyView probably won’t justify its price, but the look and the added smart TV features might just.
The apps, movies, games, and everything else we loved in 2023
Illustration: William Joel / The Verge
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 19, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
It’s the last Installer of the year, so we’re going to do something a little different! We’re going to talk about all our favorite things of 2023. Some ground rules / disclaimers: this list is not exhaustive, not everything in here is new this year it’s just new to us, this is not an Official List of Every Single Good Thing That Exists, and most importantly, if there’s something missing that you find outrageous and unacceptable you know where to find me: installer@theverge.com and (203) 570-8663 on all the messaging apps.
Thanks to everyone who sent stuff in, I discovered so many cool things that are going to inevitably take over my life in 2024. And hopefully you find some stuff here too! I know I say this every week, but it’s always true: the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you into right now? What apps / games / movies / podcasts / sacred rituals / philosophical musings do you wish everyone liked as much as you? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. (And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, tell them to subscribe here.)
Oh, also! The Verge has an amazing 2023 in review series running right now, which you should check out. This was the year of Fitbit and Google, of Matter and the smart home, of Game Pass games and Hulu shows and arthouse movies and a new social web. Don’t miss any of it.
That’s enough preamble, let’s just dive in. My favorite things, and yours, of 2023. Happy Holidays, friends, here we go!
David’s favorite things
One reason I love working on Installer is that it constantly forces me to try new things. I’m always watching and reading and downloading stuff I wouldn’t otherwise, which is terrible for my Netflix algorithm but otherwise extremely fun.
A lot of that stuff comes and goes — some of it is awful, much more of it is fine but sort of transient. Just not sticky for me, you know? But a bunch of stuff this year graduated from “I’ll try it out” to something more. That’s what this list is: in no particular order the stuff I discovered in 2023 that I’m still using, talking about, and recommending today.
Number Go Up. The best tech book I read this year, and one of my favorite “the future is weird” books ever. It’s an adventure story and a financial investigation, and I absolutely devoured it. Crypto is even more bizarre than you think.
Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. Two days with these things, and I was convinced that smart glasses are going to be a thing. They’re already my go-to gadget for phone calls on the go and are replacing my headphones more and more.
Kagi. I’ve tried all the search engines, and I always ended up back at Google — until Kagi. It’s private, it’s fast, it’s super customizable, it’s a little ugly but I’m getting over that, and it’s the first search engine I’ve tried that feels just as good as Google.
Shrinking. I laughed, I cried. I did both those things several times on a plane while binge watching this show, which really confused the person next to me. It’s a winner from beginning to end.
Anytype. It’s like Notion, only offline-first and super fast. Which turns out to be exactly what I was looking for. It’s also in beta, and has a steep learning curve, but now it’s set up to help me run basically my entire life. For now, anyway.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. This was not the year of Serious Movies in my life — it was the year of “the baby’s finally asleep, what fun silly thing can I watch?” This was one of the most fun and one of the most silly. I loved it.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder. It’s probably not the best game of the year, but it’s certainly the one I played the most. It’s a perfect mix of old ideas and new ones, playable but challenging, and endlessly (like, endlessly) replayable.
A hybrid charger. The single best quality-of-life tech upgrade I made this year was to buy an Anker gizmo that is both a wall charger and an external battery. It charges my devices, and then itself, so next time I don’t have an outlet it still charges my phone. Game changer.
Beef. This show had a moment, but I still don’t think enough people saw it. It’s such a bizarre premise, but one of the funniest and best-written things I watched this year. I just rewatched the whole show in two days.
Mimestream. I haven’t opened Gmail’s ugly and cluttered web app in months, and I don’t miss it a bit. I’m terrible at email, and this Mac app has made me much better at it — here’s hoping an iOS version shows up in 2024.
Twos. My never-ending quest for the perfect to-do list app led me to this app, which is both super simple — just a list of stuff you write down — and incredibly clever. Cross-platform, free to use, and improving really fast. I’ve been using it all year.
BlackBerry. Nobody believes me when I tell them to see this movie! But it’s excellent, regardless of whether you care a lick about the BlackBerry story.
Google Bard. Definitely not the AI tool I would have guessed would end up here. But the thing I use chatbots for most is finding stuff — in my email, my documents, YouTube, the web — and Google is just better at that. Bard’s bad at a lot of stuff, but it’s a solid search engine.
1Password. I’ve been using this app for years, but I really went all-in in 2023. Now all my two-factor codes, all my passkeys, all my important documents live here — and centralizing all that stuff in one place I trust has made my online life a lot easier.
Working it Out. This and Search Engine are the two podcasts that entered my “listen to every episode no matter what” list this year. Listening to comedians tell jokes, talk about jokes, and think about life and process, is just perpetually fun.
Tubi. A surprising amount of my TV watching time is now happening on Tubi, because it’s just easy: I don’t have to log in or search for anything. I just open the app and stuff starts playing. (The BBC Earth channel gets a lot of airtime in my house.)
Backbone. Most of my phone-gaming time is either remote playing my PlayStation or playing silly driving games. The Backbone controller makes both better and is super easy to connect and carry around. Now I just have to find some new games to play.
The Roku Voice Remote Pro. I’m on record about how bad I think all set-top boxes are, but this remote? This remote rules. A headphone jack for private listening, a useful voice assistant, a bunch of lovely buttons — it almost makes my stupidly slow smart TV bearable.
It Was a Sh*t Show. This and Hot Ones are probably the YouTube series I talk about the most. The channel chronicles the making of shows and movies, and all the ways they go spectacularly, hilariously wrong. The Arrested Developmentdoublefeature is excellent (and is how I found the channel), but almost every video here is a winner.
Your favorite things
Thanks again to everybody who shared their favorite things over the last couple of weeks! I got so many more responses than I could fit here — if you want a bunch more recommendations here’s a bunch on Threads and a bunch on Mastodon.
A few names showed up most often, so special shouts to the unofficial top five:
Arc. My favorite browser, no question, and clearly I’m not alone.
The Steam Deck. A lot of us got into handheld gaming this year, it appears, and this was by a mile the most-recommended gadget in my inbox.
Artifact. The hot new thing in news apps! I’ve been getting a little annoyed with all the clutter and AI stuff recently, but it’s still a great way to find new stuff.
Omnivore. An app for reading articles, newsletters, PDFs, and basically everything else. It’s a bit of a power-user tool, but it’s a really good one.
Now for the specific recommendations, from all over the Installerverse:
“I’m currently on month 8 of what was supposed to be a six-month deployment. I have a love-hate relationship with the Wi-Fi that was installed just before we left. With that said, because we have Wi-Fi access (sometimes) the Shonen Jump app and subscription has been my favorite app. When the ship’s Wi-Fi works, I can download and read offline up to 100 chapters of manga at a time. I’ve used it to relive a bit of my childhood by reading through all 700 chapters of Naruto and discover new stories like Demon Slayer and One Punch Man.” — Chris
“Citizen Sleeper really, REALLY hit the right vibe for me this year. It came out last year, but I had a lot of downtime Jan-April this year, as I was on medical leave and then recovering from an appendectomy. I read all of Murderbot (more than once, and the most recent one just came out in November!) and got deep into Citizen Sleeper and the ennui and pessimistic optimism (optimistic pessimism?) that both franchises share worked just right for me.” — Zoe
“The Town podcast from Matt Belloni. The best source of Hollywood and entertainment news. Excellent guests, every episode is a banger.” — Myke
“Arc browser definitely took over all my computers this year. It was pretty impressive to see something take Chrome and Firefox on in a big way.” — Wisdom
“I travel A LOT. I’ve been working remotely in Costa Rica for 6 months of the year, and then when I’m back in the States, I’m all over for work and family. This Anker Nebula Capsule projector has been a GAME CHANGER. You never know when your Airbnb or hotel will have a shitty little TV. This thing makes any wall a giant screen, has a decent built-in speaker, and it’s TINY — like can of soda tiny — so I don’t even notice it in my carry on. Oh, and built-in apps, no need for an external streaming device or laptop.” — Mitch
“My biggest time investment had nothing to do with tech. It was a physical trading card game called Flesh and Blood! So good. Really gets your brain working and is highly addictive.” — Thore
“The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is like Almost Famous meets a thriller murder mystery. A fantastic book that’s stuck with me most of the year! Also, the show Jury Duty is a must-watch for any fan of The Office / Parks and Rec. A truly new take on a modern sitcom or reality show.” — Tyler
“I’ve been getting tired of Apple Music misorganizing my music collection, so I finally started a Plex Music library to go with my TV and Movie libraries. Turns out they have a great mobile app called Plexamp that creates awesome radio stations from my library.” — Michael
“The Artifact app that I actually got from you guys at The Verge. It’s such a better scrolling experience from Instagram and I find as it learns who I am it is getting better at recommending stuff to me.” — Vishal
“My favorite thing of 2023 has been JustWatch. The sad demise of Netflix’s DVD business — yes I was a subscriber — motivated me to find a new place to track the obscure movies I like, and JustWatch is solving the problem. My watchlist filtered by streaming services I subscribe to: ‘Things I want to watch, available to me right now.’” — Ron
“TickTick. So many random things need to get done daily, from random house work, gentle reminders, to dos… if I don’t put it in TickTick, chances are that I will forget to do it at all.” — Omesh
“My new years’ resolution was to listen to more albums. To that end, Musicboard has been a great companion, sorting the stuff I want to hear, allowing me to rate / write a few thoughts about them, and also having a community of reviewers. It’s a simple app but it helped me a lot!” — Nathann
“Book: Barbarians at the Gate. Old book; new to me. Made me better understand seemingly wacky Wall Street things, like why banks helped Elon buy Twitter. It’s probably all about the FOMO and fees. Thing: Garmin Instinct 2X. I ran my first couple of miles for over 10 years in June. And a little more than 13 miles last week. This watch helped me find my inner runner. Cool look, awesome battery life, and an unexpectedly useful flashlight.” — Robert
“My favorite thing of 2023 was Rude Tales Of Magic, an RPG podcast that, while older than 2023, had its final episode of its first campaign. Now that it has a beginning, middle, and end, I feel better recommending it to people! It’s hilarious, well-edited, and doesn’t resemble D&D — in a good way for listeners.” — Hunter
“2023 for me was the Year of (Brandon) Sanderson. Remember his record-break-breaking Kickstarter for four secret novels? Well, this was the year they all got delivered monthly. I have enjoyed opening the swag boxes each month and reading a LOT of his books. I fell in love with his work when I read Mistborn a few years ago, but this Kickstarter really kickstarted (heh) a deep dive into his bibliography and it was so worth it. 10/10 would recommend.” — Doug
“MUBI and MUBI GO! It was Apple’s TV app of the year. Here in the UK, MUBI GO is £18.99 a month to access a streaming platform AND get a free cinema ticket a week (MUBI picks the film — normally a great pick, last week was Godzilla Minus One). It’s my favorite subscription.” — Chris
“This was a year I got back into reading in a real way, and one of my favorite books (and almost definitely my favorite book from this year) was Doppelganger, by Naomi Klein. Essential reading IMO!” — Jeanne
“The Steam Deck has been my personal favorite tech thing of 2023. I bought the cheap one and upgraded the internals so it scratched that long dormant itch. I can hook it up to my monitor and use it like a desktop computer which is super useful for… emulation things. And finally, it feels so good in the hands to play (and it gives me access to my entire Steam library!). It has been a long time since I’ve been this delighted by a device.” — Scott
All right, friends, that’s it for Installer in 2023. We’ve got some big plans for next year, and I’m so grateful to everyone who has subscribed, commented, shared recommendations, gotten very mad at me for not including enough Android apps, and reached out to say you’re enjoying Installer. Keep the recommendations and feedback coming, have a wonderful rest of your holidays, and see you in 2024!
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LG says its new 4K projector is a ‘stylish art object’
The LG Qube is so tiny, so boxy, so handle-y. | Image: LG
LG announced the CineBeam Qube (model HU710PB) laser projector yesterday: It’s got a minimalist look and stature, weighing 3.28 pounds and measuring 135mm square on one side and just 80mm wide at the front. (For comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro is just shy of 147mm tall.) It also has an unknown number of HDMI eARC and USB-C ports, and a 3W built-in mono speaker. Impressively, LG says it can project an up-to-120-inch image at full 4K resolution with a pretty standard 1.2 throw ratio. Oh, and it has a handle!
There are some apparent drawbacks to this itty bitty projector. For starters, it pushes out a relatively dim 500 ANSI lumens (compared to 2200 ANSI lumens of the larger Xgimi Horizon Pro we reviewed two years ago). That means that, although LG says this projector supports HDR 10, it won’t pop the way brighter HDR TVs do outside of a very dark room. It being LG, it uses the company’s webOS, which is fine taken on its own as an OS, but lacks the diversity of Google TV or Apple’s tvOS.
Image: LG
I just want to pick it up and walk around with it.
But it’s possible none of that matters if you just want a neat little thing that’s cursorily useful. It looks a little like a cross between the Binomes from the 90s CGI cartoon ReBoot and the hand-cranked Bell & Howell 8mm camera that floated around my house growing up. And while I usually recoil at companies describing their devices with terms like “stylish interior accessory,” I have to admit the Qube calls to me, as a person who is willing to forgive the flaws of quirky, boxy tech that has a handle — like the GameCube, for instance. (Obviously, the GameCube, having no flaws, is just a convenient example here.)
Image: LG
Another view of the LG Qube.
LG didn’t announce either pricing or a release date for the Qube, nor does it say whether it will support features from other LG projectors like AirPlay 2, smart voice control, or really... anything about its capabilities outside of the very basics like those mentioned above.
An Artist in Residence on A.I.’s Territory Alexander Reben is taking his tech-savvy perspective to OpenAI, a company that some in the art world believe is a threat to their future.
The app gives you access to Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) and works similarly to OpenAI’s ChatGPT mobile app. In addition to letting you ask questions, draft emails, and summarize text, you can also create images through an integration with the text-to-image generator DALL-E3.
Image: Microsoft
And, unlike the free version of ChatGPT which runs GPT-3.5, Copilot lets you access GPT-4, the latest large language model (LLM) from OpenAI, without having to pay for a subscription.
With Microsoft’s rebrand of Bing Chat to Copilot, the company is moving toward offering a standalone experience similar to ChatGPT. Along with rolling out apps on Android and Apple devices, Microsoft also created a web experience for Copilot that’s separate from Bing.
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First reported Tesla Cybertruck accident results in only ‘minor’ injury
Composite image of a Toyota Corolla and Tesla Cybertruck after the accident. | Image: u/boddhya (Reddit)
After Reddit user boddhya posted two pictures of a Cybertruck accident, the California Highway Patrol confirmed to The Verge that units responded to a two-vehicle accident on SR 35 (Skyline Boulevard). It occurred in this area south of Page Mill Road, which Google Maps lists as Palo Alto, around 2:05PM local time and involved a 2023 Tesla Cybertruck carrying three people that appears to have been hit by a 2009 Toyota Corolla driven by a 17-year-old.
Our preliminary investigation indicates a Toyota Corolla was traveling south on SR-35 southbound, south of Page Mill Road, at an unknown speed, when the driver, for unknown reasons, turned to the right and subsequently struck a dirt embankment on the right shoulder. The Toyota then re-entered the roadway, crossed over the double yellow lines into the northbound lane, and crashed into a Tesla Cybertruck traveling north on SR-35 northbound.
The only injury noted in the release provided by CHP mentions a suspected minor injury to the Cybertruck driver, who declined medical transportation, and it mentions that it does not appear the Tesla was operating in autonomous mode. The weather is described as cloudy and wet.
The pictures posted on Reddit show significant damage to the Corolla’s front end. The parts we can see of the Cybertruck don’t show the same damage despite the side-curtain airbags deployed. However, we can only see the passenger side, and the poster didn’t see much of the other side either.
While the truck doesn’t show markings of a “release candidate,” we didn’t spot any of the “Foundation Series” etching, so it’s unclear if this is a customer-delivered model or something else.
We’ll update this article with more details as they become available.
LG’s new ultra-lightweight Gram laptops include some OLED screens and AI Boost
2024 LG Gram Pro | LG
Ahead of CES 2024, LG is debuting new laptops in its ultra-light LG Gram and LG Gram Pro series. If you’re in the market for OLED displays and better graphics, take a look at the 2024 LG Gram Pro lineup. As our review last year noted, the biggest difference between the Pro and standard laptops last year was the graphics — much less the look and feel. For a more visible difference, we’ll keep an eye out for their more fashion-forward cousin, the LG Gram Style.
For 2024, there’s the Gram Pro 16 and 17, and the LG Gram Pro 2-in-1 (more on what those two things are later). The Gram Pro 16 is available in either the standard Wide Quad or with an OLED display, as well as the 2-in-1. The 2-in-1 doubles as a laptop and a tablet, featuring a touchscreen, a 360-degree adjustable hinge, and a chargeable wireless pen.
Image: LG
LG Gram Pro
All are equipped with NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSDs, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card, and an FHD webcam with facial recognition. Just like the LG Gram, you’ll have your choice of Intel Core Ultra 5 or Intel Core Ultra 7 processors for the LG Gram Pro models. In the Pro lineup, the processors include Intel’s AI Boost NPU hardware to accelerate AI tasks processed locally on the device.
Image: LG
2024 LG Gram laptops
The standard LG Gram series will be available in four different screen sizes (14, 15, 16, and 17-inch) and include Intel Core Ultra processors. All of them include built-in Full-HD cameras, making the smaller ones particularly handy for unexpected Zoom calls during work travel. But even the larger ones weigh less than your lightest pair of dumbbells — the full lineup ranges from 2.42 to 2.98 pounds. The two largest ones boast a 2,560 × 1,600 display — making them more suitable for watching videos, extended reading on the internet or photo editing.
All the new LG Gram models include the LG Gram Link app, which the company says will enable file sharing, photo transfers, and screen mirroring between your computer and Android or iOS devices. The app will use AI to categorize your photos, as well as make image searches easier through keywords.
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Astrohaus will be shipping its cheapest Freewrite digital typewriter in January
Image: Freewrite
Astrohaus will be shipping the cheapest digital typewriter in its Freewright lineup, the Freewright Alpha, in mid-January for $349. You can preorder it now, however, in black or white from the company’s website.
The Freewrite Alpha is the follow-up to the original $649 Freewrite and the $499 portable Freewrite Traveler from 2020. Like its predecessors, the Wi-Fi-enabled typewriter is free of distractions like web browsers and emails to help you focus on writing. After you’re finished, the gadget wirelessly syncs documents with software services like Google Drive and Dropbox so you can edit and share your documents.
However, the Alpha drops the E Ink display in favor of a reflective monochromatic LCD screen, thus keeping costs down. It also now comes with just one screen instead of two and — while about half the weight of the original — is heavier than the Traveler.
On the flip side, though, Astrohaus promises the Alpha should have a much longer 100-hour battery life while continuing to support USB-C. The Alpha also brings back the mechanical switches the Traveler lacked, offering Kailh Choc V2 low-profile switches that are slimmer than the Kailh Box Brown switches found in the original model. The new typewriter also lets you move your cursor around a document in the same way that the Traveler does, a capability lacking in the original model.
News of the Alpha’s shipping date comes after Astrohaus raised $446,742 via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign launched in 2022. The company began fulfilling orders earlier this year and gave early backers an $80 discount.
Apple resumes Apple Watch sales after ban is paused
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
You can once again buy the latest Apple Watches straight from Apple. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will be available again in some physical Apple stores starting today, with wider availability expected by Saturday. Online sales will resume tomorrow by 3PM ET, Apple spokesperson Nikki Rothberg told The Verge.
The appeals court said that Apple could continue selling its watches temporarily, while the company waited to hear back on whether proposed changes to its watches would avoid the patent issues. US Customs and Border Protection is scheduled to rule on the changes on January 12th. Failing that, the court is considering whether to put the ban on hold until it can rule on the patent dispute, which could potentially delay the ban for months longer.
“Apple’s teams have worked tirelessly over many years to develop technology that empowers users with industry-leading health, wellness and safety features and we are pleased the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has stayed the exclusion order while it considers our request to stay the order pending our full appeal,” Rothberg said in an emailed statement.
Apple pulled sales of the Series 9 and Ultra 2 from its online and physical stores ahead of the ban going into effect on December 26th. The ban covers devices that include a blood oxygen saturation sensor. Apple has included one on flagship watches since late 2020, with the Series 6. Only the lower-priced Apple Watch SE doesn’t include one and has been able to remain on sale.
Third-party retailers were allowed to continue selling through their stock of Apple Watches while the ban was in place, though the import ban would have eventually prevented them from acquiring more units.
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Amazon Prime Video will start showing ads on January 29th
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Earlier this year, Amazon announced plans to start incorporating ads into movies and TV shows streamed from its Prime Video service, and now the company has revealed a specific date when you’ll start seeing them: it’s January 29th. “This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time,” the company said in an email to customers about the pending shift to “limited advertisements.”
“We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers. No action is required from you, and there is no change to the current price of your Prime membership,” the company wrote. Customers have the option of paying an additional $2.99 per month to keep avoiding advertisements. The rest of the email summarizes the many benefits of a Prime subscription — no doubt an attempt to keep customers from cancelling over the shift to this “limited” ads model.
Amazon Prime currently costs $14.99 each month or $139 annually. The new charge for ad-free streaming would bring the former to just under $18. Amazon also operates Freevee, a free, ad-sponsored streaming service. The company’s email notes that “live event content such as sports, and content offered through Amazon Freevee will continue to include advertising.”
The move comes as competing streaming services continue to raise subscription rates across the board. The monthly cost of Amazon Prime isn’t changing, but if you want to preserve the same experience you have today starting on January 29th, you’ll end up paying more.
Apple appeals US ban on Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Series 9
Image: Apple
Apple has filed an appeal to the International Trade Commission’s decision to ban U.S. sales of Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 models, court records show. Additionally, the company is requesting an emergency stay on the ban for at least two weeks until a decision is made on redesigned versions of the banned models.
“We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible,” Apple said in a statement to Reuters on Tuesday. Apple did not immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.
The models, which Apple says are their most popular, were banned after the ITC found that Apple infringed on blood oxygen saturation technology patented by health tech firm Masimo.
In today’s filing, Apple’s attorneys claimed the $3 trillion company “will suffer irreparable harm” if the models remain off the shelves during legal proceedings. According to the filing, the Exclusion Order Enforcement Branch of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is scheduled to make a decision on redesigned versions of the Watch models on January 13, 2023. “At a minimum, the Court should grant a stay long enough for Customs to make this decision,” the company said.
Microsoft Copilot is now available as a ChatGPT-like app on Android
Image: Microsoft
Microsoft has quietly launched a dedicated Copilot app for Android. The new app is available in the Google Play Store, offering access to Microsoft’s AI-powered Copilot without the need for the Bing mobile app. Spotted by Neowin, Copilot on Android has been available for nearly a week, but an iOS version isn’t available just yet.
Microsoft’s Copilot app on Android is very similar to ChatGPT, with access to chatbot capabilities, image generation through DALL-E 3, and the ability to draft text for emails and documents. It also includes free access to OpenAI’s latest GPT-4 model, something you have to pay for if you’re using ChatGPT.
Image: Microsoft
The Copilot interface on Android
The launch of the Copilot app for Android comes a little over a month after Microsoft rebranded Bing Chat to Copilot. Microsoft originally launched its AI push earlier this year inside its Bing search engine, integrating a ChatGPT-like interface into search results. While that’s still available, Microsoft has dropped the Bing Chat branding and allowed Copilot to be more of a standalone experience that also exists on its own dedicated domain over at copilot.microsoft.com — much like ChatGPT.
Launching mobile apps for Copilot seems like the next logical step of expanding this standalone Copilot experience, particularly as Bing Chat Enterprise was also rebranded to just Copilot. While there’s no sign of an iOS version of Copilot right now, I’d expect it’s right around the corner. Until then, you can always use the Bing app on an iPhone or iPad to access the existing Copilot features.
Apple is now banned from selling its latest Apple Watches in the US
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Apple can no longer sell the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 in the US after President Joe Biden’s administration declined to veto the ban today.
Apple pulled both devices from its website on December 21st and from its store shelves after December 24th. A statement (via CNBC) from the Office of US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the agency “decided not to reverse the ITC’s [International Trade Commission] determination” after “careful consideration.”
The ITC issued the ban after finding that Apple infringed on blood oxygen saturation technology patented by a company called Masimo. It also ordered Apple to stop selling any previously-imported devices with the infringed-upon tech. While Apple attempted to block the decision while awaiting an appeal, the ITC denied Apple’s request, and the other chance of intervention was a veto from President Joe Biden, which didn't happen.
The ban only affects Apple stores in the US. That means customers can still get their hands on a Watch Series 9 or Watch Ultra 2 at Best Buy, Target, and other retailers while supplies last. Apple will also continue selling the Watch SE, as it doesn’t come with a blood oxygen sensor.
Still, it’s not clear where Apple will go from here. My colleague Victoria Song explores the various paths Apple could take, including making software changes to the blood oxygen sensor on both watches or disabling the sensor on imported devices. But both of those methods might not be enough to satisfy the ITC, which is why Apple could always choose to settle with Masimo instead.
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